"The Malt Hound" <Malt_Hound@*no spam please*yahoo.com> wrote in message
news
>
> "Stan Dowiat" > wrote in message
> ...
> > My chosen garage seems to have done a very good job aligning my car
> > and for only for $49. I've done some checking around and there are
> > a lot of BMW owners who have work done at this location. Do you
> > think that aligning wheels on a BMW is so complicated that it
> > warrants over three time the cost? I think not.
>
> Stepping in here, I would say; it depends. The only real alignment
> "adjustment" on your car is the front toe-in. They can usually get
> that right OK. In fact I usually do this myself (after suspension or
> steering work) and can get it "close enough" with fishing line and a
> ruler.
>

Fishing line and a ruler?

I have used a tape measure to align the front tires on my Jeep, but I was
wondering what the fishing line was for. Could you please describe the
procedure?



> The other angles that they need to check occasionally and make sure
> are within tolerances are front and rear caster, camber and rear toe
> angle. All of these checks need to be made with a certain "preload"
> as that is how the engineers at BMW specified them. If they are out
> they can be fixed by replacing bushings or other suspension and/or
> steering parts.
>
> I have never known a tire shop to go the extra distance to perform the
> checks this way. It means having the correct weight sandbags on hand
> to simulate the driver and passengers in the seats. Without the
> weights you can get things close but it will not be exactly correct.
>
> >
> > I expect my cars to go at least 200k with no major problems. If I
> > didn't then I'd buy American and pay much less than I do for Honda/
> > Acura or BMW.
>
> That's fine, and that car probably will do that, but I think it also
> depends; What do you consider "major" and how conscientious are you
> at performing preventive maintenance? If you consider probl;ems with
> the peripherals or the cooling system major, I doubt you will take
> this car past the double century mark without one of these type of
> problems. Also, making sure the full service schedule is observed is
> cheap insurance IMO to ensure its longevity. I have never owned a
> Japanese car, but my understanding is that you can get away with
> almost no maintenance beyond oil changes now and then and they still
> run up the miles.
>
> Good Luck with your new wheels.
>
> YMMV,
> -Fred W
>
>
>